AJOKE PHILIP
As part of its ongoing immigration crackdown, the US million yesterday, warned that Nigerians and other international students who either skip classes or leave their programme would have their visa revoked.
The US Mission in Nigeria issued this warning via a message on its X handle, saying that students who are caught in the act would not only have their visas revoked, but might lose eligibility for future US visas.
The Mission advised the students to adhere strictly to the terms of their visa and maintain their student status to avoid any issues.”If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future U.S. Visas.
“Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues,” the Mission said in the post.
Recently, the US government under President Donald Trump has turned its attention to international students, imposing some restrictions to balance attracting international students and maintaining national regulatory standards.
As part of the stricter measures being introduced, the US government recently announced the inclusion of social media handles as part of visa application requirements for intending students.
It further directed international students to remove privacy settings from their social media handles to allow for what it called proper vetting.
One of the proposed rules aimed to limit student visa stays to two to four years, and also eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT), a temporary employment authorisation for F-1 and M-1 non-immigrant students, which allows international students to gain practical experience in their field of study, either before or after graduation.
OPT is typically granted for up to 12 months per degree level and can be a pathway to extend stay in the U.S. after graduation.